I’ve seen thousands of knives on this website… none of them match up to the Rike Knife S05’s absolutely bonkers artistry.
Damascus Steel has an interesting history dating back to at least 400AD in the Syrian capital where this style of steel-forging is believed to have originated. Sadly, the entire art form was lost in the early 1700s due to cultural suppression and the general lack of proper documentation, and all the Damascus Steel we see today is merely our own attempts at trying to recreate the original (you can read all about it here), but at least aesthetically, we’ve figured out how to mimic it nearly flawlessly. Damascus Steel is best known for its alluring marbled patterns, caused by folding cementite (iron carbide) and ferrite (a crystalline form of iron) into the steel and then etching it in acid to reveal the different metals. For the most part, Damascus steel blades have showcased natural wavy patterns, sometimes even swirled designs. The Rike Knife S05, however, takes things to an absolutely new level with its unbelievably intricate blade design. Created presumably by forging multiple patterns and then layering them into a block, the S05’s blade is virtually a tapestry in steel, showing different patterns including checked, webbed, striped, and even Japanese characters all forged together into a single block of steel. The steel is then formed into a blade, etched, and sharpened, resulting in a knife that defies convention in every which way. The S05 is deviously sharp, but using this immaculate piece of art as an EDC knife is sort of like using the Mona Lisa as a charcuterie board…
Designer: Rike Knife
While most collector knives have ornamentation and embellishments on their handles, the Rike Knife S05’s beauty lies entirely in its immaculately patternwelded blade. It’s difficult to even describe how this level of layering could be achieved but with the S05’s sizeable $550 price tag, you’re paying for top-tier craftsmanship that nobody can copy even if they wanted to. The blade has multiple rows and columns of different patterned elements, all hammered into one solid ingot that’s then cut, shaped, sharpened, and acid-treated. The blade sports a clip-point style design reminiscent of Turkish weaponry, with a slight kink in the lower edge, going from convex to concave. Although Damascus steel doesn’t offer any remarkable material properties, the S05 is a pretty razor-edged little devil, being able to slice through tough materials like leather with ease.
The S05 features a titanium-crafted handle that houses its precious blade within it. Aside from being robust and durable enough to contain that beautiful blade, the titanium handle also has nothing but a matte finish that provides just the right amount of contrast needed to make the S05’s blade really shine.
The handle, however, isn’t all plain. It features a pocket clip and a rear spacer (a piece wedged between the two halves of the handle) made of MokuTi, a special Damascus-style material made of titanium alloy 6AL-4V and grade 1 titanium that showcases the same double-finish marbled design. The MokuTi elements come with a pearlescent finish, providing just the right amount of pop to give the S05 its accents. The screws holding the knife together have the same pearlescent finish too, giving the entire knife a unique appeal.
Although some may wince at the $550 price tag, it’s completely justified given the level of artistry that goes into each unit. Aside from how dizzyingly complex the Damascus steel blade is (and just the level of craftsmanship that goes into it), working with titanium poses its own challenges given that it’s the toughest metal on earth. Moreover, the MokuTi laminate is a specialized material that can only be sourced from a handful of metal forgers, making the entire Rike Knife S05 quite precious from top to bottom. The knife’s construction is faultless too, with the blade fitting so cleanly into the handle that its pointed edge aligns perfectly in place so as to not get caught in the fabric of your bag or pocket as you put it in or take it out. The knife’s designed to be durable, reliable, and have excellent cutting power… but if I were you I’d probably encase it on an expensive stand underneath an acrylic enclosure on my EDC wall!
